How Crossfit Helped Me Launch A Kickstarter Campaign

Consistency. It’s one of the hardest things for me when it comes to working out and I’m sure I’m not the only one. Throughout college I would go in spurts where I would workout with my roommates but none of us really had any idea what were doing in the gym. Sure, the saying “it’s leg day, bro” would be thrown around but did we really know the proper form, let alone the appropriate weight and rep scheme? Hell, no! Since graduating college and hitting the real world, I have been fortunate enough to work at different colleges and had free access to recreation centers. In fact, for the last six years my office has been no more than 10 feet from a fitness center. I found working out as a painstaking chore. I know that working out 3-4 times a week is good for you. While I’ve seen results, I have never been able to stick with it for more than a few weeks at a time. Until now!

On June 5th, I joined Endorphin Crossfit in Middlesex, NJ.

It just so happens that was the same day I released my first blog post in my 30 day “Find Your Niche” series for The Niche Movement.

Two full months later sticking with crossfit at least 3 (sometimes 4) times a week, I have seen some crazy correlations between positive gains in the gym and in my life. This summer was filled with early mornings and late nights of writing, networking, brainstorming, and executing new projects to get to where I am on my final day of my Kickstarter campaign.

If you are a busy person that has battled with consistency in the gym while leading a busy life then these three tips can help - especially as summer comes to an end.

1. Mastery

I have taken my share of classes and tried various routines over the last eight years. However, I have noticed that when you take a class like spin or workout (or go running) by yourself, it requires A LOT of self-discipline. At Endorphin, from my first class to now, there has been a detailed plan everyday. You are held accountable not by only by the amazing coaches, but by your peers in your class. Everyone is giving it their all, reaching for their next PR, or trying something new for the very first time like me. Every crossfit class helps me strive to master a new lift, technique, or physically test my endurance to my body in ways I haven’t been pushed since being a high school athlete.

Since I decided to turn my blogging series for The Niche Movement into a book to end employment unhappiness for this generation, I went down roads I thought I would never travel. There were weekends I spent filming my Kickstarter video, mornings pitching and interviewing press, and late nights emailing friends, family, and people in my network for contributions. I kept to a detailed plan. Supporters around my campaign held me accountable. And I reached several “PR’s” like being featured in Buzzfeed, Money Under 30, and breaking my goal of $3,000 in less than 29 days.

#NicheTip: Mastery driven motivation works. Find a workout routine that will get you excited to achieve new levels of fitness.

2. Momentum

When I lose interest in working out and my routine becomes boring (like it does several times in the winter) I become lazy, unmotivated and procrastination settles in for my personal life.

Within two weeks, Endorphin’s coaches helped me find my one rep max for various lifts like back squat, bench press, and deadlift. Once I had my strength training plan and started seeing progress, I was hooked. I had momentum and enthusiasm to keep to a regular routine this summer. My days consisted of waking up early and putting in almost two hours of work before I left for my full time job. Then, after working a full day, I went straight to Endorphin at 5:15 where crossfit gave me a boost to come home and eat a healthy meal with Courtney and spend the evenings working on The Niche Movement.

#NicheTip: Ya know the commercial that says, “a body in motion, stays in motion”? It’s true. Try not to leave too much time between leaving work and going to the gym. It’s during that lag time that we find other things we need to do and talk ourselves out of working out that day.

3. Clarity

Outside of physical benefits, crossfit has made me more energized, reduced stress and provide much needed clarity for my mind. When I go to crossfit, Bonnie and Ian (the founders of Endorphin), always reiterate to focus on every part of your body throughout your reps. I love this because every rep and WOD has me completely in the moment. There certainly have been ups and downs over the last 90 days of this adventure trying to launch my business full time but when I am at crossfit my mind and body are in the present. I have never thought about my full time job, The Niche Movement, what’s for dinner or other issues in my life.

Anyone that does crossfit, knows how much energy you put into every WOD. Even though I leave there wiped after every class, my head has been completely clear and ready to attack the next item on my to-do list.

#Nichetip: The mind needs breaks in the workday, and just in the day in general, to reset. When you workout you only have room to focus on the workout and can’t let your mind run about your to-do lists. A clear head is a much more creative and powerful head than one that is constantly running.

During the last two months, I have been very lucky to find a box that cares about personal development, proper weight lifting technique and building a community. Lately, I have pushed myself in ways I never thought I could and crossfit has certainly helped achieve some amazing personal goals both in the gym and with The Niche Movement.

#NicheStory with Stacy Campesi, Life Coach

Tune in on Tuesday July 29th at 7:30pm EST, as Kevin O'Connell invites Stacy Campesi, owner of SLC Coaching, a coaching & seminar company to this month's #NicheStory. Stacy will reveal strategies to help get you "unstuck" in your life or career, help you discover your values, and what work environment is best for you. Stacy was born and raised in New Jersey but is currently living in the Washington, DC metro area with her husband Chris and fur-baby Baxter.  She is a self proclaimed “foodie” and is constantly seeking out the newest and best local food trucks to try.

Stacy is a huge supporter of The Niche Movement and shares the same passion: helping young professionals who are stuck in dreadful jobs find passion and fire in their career again. She knows firsthand that navigating the “real-world” as a young professional isn’t easy.  She worked in the nonprofit industry for over 7 years before deciding to make an impact on the world in a different way and became a professional coach.

Stacy loves working with clients who are victims to corporate culture and constantly feel angry, hopeless, and physically exhausted. By cutting through the uncertainty, self-doubt, and fear of change that holds them back, Stacy is able to help her clients make decisions that get them what they want, without compromising a thing!

In addition to her coach training through the Institute of Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), Stacy holds a B.A. in Sociology and an M.A. in Leadership. She is certified as an Energy Leadership Master Practitioner and is a member of the International Coach Federation.

Follow along and connect with us:

Join the conversation at #NicheStory

Tweet Kevin, Stacy or The Niche Movement

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sklV_vZ89zw

Day 30 - I Found My Niche

Have you ever worked on something that you become so passionate about that you can’t put it down? You know, the projects and pieces of “art” that don’t feel like work. After writing 29 blog posts over the last month, I can answer this question confidently saying “Yes - I know exactly how this feels.” During this entire journey, I looked forward to writing each post. All of the people I talked about are incredible and have taught me two major things:

1. Hustle and

2. take the risks to go all in.

As for learning to hustle… Writing has been fulfilling, but not easy. After a full days work, I used every last inch of my spare time writing. The comments and encouragement made the difference so don’t ever think your comment, no matter how small it may appear, didn’t matter- it did (and continues to matter). Writing each story about the people in my life that always went above and beyond in their work has inspired me during the most difficult days over the last month. If I learned anything from the people I’ve written about, it’s that if you want to achieve your most ambitious dreams you need to be willing to put in the work.
As for going all in… If you’ve been reading the posts in this series you’ve heard of mentors, friends, and family members that went all in to support me and believe in me. You’ve heard about the brave people I am lucky enough to call friends and family that went all in on their dreams. Writing their stories was exactly what I needed to summon the courage for what I am about to share with you. It’s time for me to go all in.
I want to dedicate my career to helping others find their niche, and here is how I plan to start.

#1 Launch a Kickstarter campaign to fund the first book dedicated to ending employment unhappiness

. The incredible stories I have shared over the last 30 days need to be shared with the world. I will take all of the posts that I have written and string them together by infusing advice from experts, new approaches to career exploration, and inspirational stories from others that have found their niche. The working title is The Niche Movement: The New Rules to Finding the Career You Love. Want to learn more?

Check out the campaign! It is live on Kickstarter until August 12th!

How you can help: While so many of you have helped so much just by supporting this blog series, I thank you in advance for any support you offer as I begin this exciting journey.

• If you feel moved to donate (and are financially able to do so), that is the best way to help.
• Equally as helpful, would be sharing the campaign with your network. To make this easy for, I created this page with four different ways to share including pre-made social media posts and other good links.
• Lastly, we are already working to be featured in a number of publications over the next 30 days, but if you have any contacts in the press/media please let me know how I can best reach out to them with this story.

#2 Help people identify career opportunities they are not finding through conventional career sites and job boards.

The Niche List will be an email subscription that people can join for FREE to receive a curated list of jobs in the startup community and with companies that have a great culture but are not on traditional job boards or recruiting at career fairs. I will also include career advice and identifying additional resources for those in the job search. If you or anyone you know is job searching, signup here.

How you can help: If you know someone job searching, send them the link!

#3 Launch a series of innovative career exploration events.

Starting this fall, I will be collaborating with a variety of organizations to host events and help people find their niche. The events will flip the career fair model, and help this generation find a job they love. Last week, we confirmed the date and location for the first event. We will be collaborating with the team of Bold: Get Noticed, Get Hired on September 17th at Venture for America in NYC. More details will follow in the next month, but this will be the first of several Niche Movement events and programs we hold.

How you can help: If you are interested in collaborating on an event or know an organization that might be a good fit for a sponsorship (we’ll be attracting recent grads and young professionals), you can connect them with me so that we can work together to help people find the career they love.

#4 Help organizations spread their message with high quality social media strategies, photo and video.

This one may seem like a weird fit as it doesn't mention career exploration in the title. However, I firmly believe that businesses, individuals, and organizations on a college campus, all have a message. That message is amplified when you match high quality video/photo/creative with a well crafted social media strategy. If people are going to find the jobs they love, then organizations will need to tell their story to attract those individuals. I want to use my talents in this area to help people and organizations craft and amplify their message to the world.

How you can help: If you know a business, individual or organization that could benefit from high quality video, photo, or social media content matched with strategies to build a sustainable social media presence please connect them with me. Do you believe we can rewrite the path to employment happiness for this generation? If so, join me in creating the first of many potential solutions for young people to find the work they love. https://bitly.com/nichekick

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I truly want to thank all of you who have rallied around this. I met every word and I can’t believe where this journey has continued to take me.

I have to give a huge shoutout to Camille Sennett, a Rutgers alum, that now works at West Virginia University. Camille is an amazing young professional who is not only a Niche Movement contributor, but the backbone of this Kickstarter campaign. In less than 4 weeks, Camille took on a marketing and press plan that will hopefully lead this to successful campaign. If you’re looking for a go-getter who is self motivated and creative writer then please connect with her.

Second, I can’t leave out my wonderful wife Courtney. She was there every single morning and night as I wrote. She was my proofreader, my soundboard, and the fuel to my fire. Thank you.

Silencing the Negativity to Unleash Greatness

Imagine what we would all accomplish if we didn’t listen to the negative voices in our head. You know, that part of the brain that feels like the guy looking in from the outside and just spouting off negative commentary like “you can’t do it”, “you’ll never be good enough”, or “you’re bad at that.” For me, my subconscious gets the best of me. I grew up thinking I was shy, letting my parents tell people I was shy, letting everyone believe it (including me) mainly because I had that little voice telling me I was just a shy kid. I used the word shy as a crutch to mask the voices in my head telling me that what I have to say or share “isn’t good enough”, “it won’t resonate with the people around you” or “people are going to judge you.” I have had these experiences all too often in both my childhood and adult life.

Until now.

Since September 2013, I wanted to share a 30 day blogging series of how I found my niche. However, between my subconscious holding me back from sharing some of my most personal experiences, mixed with a touch of procrastination and hectic schedule, I kept putting it off. Whether you have been following along or not, from January 2013 thru May 2014, I have accomplished a lot of great things with The Niche Movement that I am proud of including:

- building a contributing editor base and community of movers and shakers,

- hosting several #NicheStory interviews,

- providing workshops and keynotes for schools like Steven’s Tech, University of Illinois and not to mention a TEDx talk this past winter,

-  growing a tribe that has reached 1,500 unique views per month to The Niche Movement website.

There was something still missing and my subconscious was holding me back. Over this entire 18 month journey questions like “am I good enough?” or “will people care what I have to say?” all too frequently popped into my head.

Today, July 8th 2014, I can say those questions can be put to rest.

How did I get here though? It wasn’t some magical pill or quick fix. It started with a conversation with my good friend Stacy Rinaldi Campesii. Stacy and I worked together at Centenary College where I also attended graduate school in 2006-2008. Stacy also works in students affairs but the one thing we have in common is our passion for leadership.

When I met Stacy, she had recently been hired as the Coordinator of First Year Programs and led a group of first year student instructors at Centenary College. She was a great mentor to her students, and created processes and programs that were innovative and engaging. However, her role at Centenary was only a stepping stone that led to a greater vision that I have been so fortunate to see unfold.

Since she left her job at Centenary in 2009, her and her husband Chris took new jobs and moved outside of Washington, DC. She has held two different jobs in education, but there was still something missing. This past fall, Stacy decided to push her comfort zone and start taking classes to receive a certification and become a professional life coach.

Courtney and I have visited with Stacy and Chris quite a few times over the last year, but the trip we had to DC over Memorial Day weekend is where Stacy unleashed her new knowledge of being a life coach and put her passion for leadership to the test.

The subject: me.

Over dinner at their house, we started with our usual small talk, sharing recent stories about our dogs and quickly moving onto the unfulfilling stories of both of our jobs. Sure enough The Niche Movement came up and I politely shared some modest updates, but was still not super excited to be talking about it. That’s when Stacy’s life coach hat was put on and started asking some powerful questions.

See before this conversation, I always had a limited view of my work with The Niche Movement that if I took this “full time” I wouldn’t succeed or I would not be able to make a living from it. Since I was a junior in college, in Professor Singh’s class, I would always tell myself I wanted to be an entrepreneur. But, I never believed I had it in me to actually do it.

Through Stacy’s questions and advice, we started to identify my vision and what I value. Stacy helped me start to recognize that I need to be in an environment where I can carry out my own vision. I also started to realize that a lot of my values like being flexible, honest, hard working, genuine, authentic, autonomy, leadership, and loyal didn’t match up to my current environments. Too often than not, I didn’t believe in myself or stick up for my vision. I also realized that I was making a lot of assumptions in life. Those voices in my head would comment on an interaction with a friend or colleague and always make me think the worst of the situation. I can’t tell you how great it feels to not let those assumptions control me anymore.

I left that conversation with a refreshed look on life and The Niche Movement. I had motivation and drive like I have never had before. I decided that now more than ever is the best time to start writing everyday and put myself out there. Throughout my life, especially the last 8-10 years, I’ve had so many great people around me that I needed to thank and share how they influenced me.

Stacy, is by far one of the biggest catalyst for every post that I have published since June 5th. Since our talk in May, she has continued to encourage me and help lay out a very detailed plan for me to be able to listen to my own advice and achieve my own happiness. Stacy has helped quiet my subconscious to the point where I now feel invincible. Prior to this, there has only been a handful of times in my professional and personal life where I have felt this way. With her help, I felt like this since May 24th and I don’t see it going away anytime soon.

Tomorrow, you will read my 30th blog post that will reveal how I found my niche and how I am going to achieve my own happiness.

What they taught me:

Stacy has taught me how to silence the negative voices and comments I was creating in my own subconscious. By teaching me how to cope with this she has unlocked great potential I never knew I had. Stacy has also taught me that it’s ok to talk it out. We have this culture that makes you feel shameful for talking things out with someone. Particularly, men are told to keep their mouths shut and keep it in. My experience with Stacy has taught me that it is much better to let things out.

How they inspired me:

I always knew Stacy was a rockstar, but it wasn’t until she found her passion in coaching that I got to see her true potential. Not only is she teaching me how to better handle my negative assumptions, but she is inspiring me by showing me what happens when you match your skills with the right career.

#NicheTip:

I’ve said it plenty of times, the whole career development process from job searching to dealing with colleagues to getting the next promotion, it is not easy. We often go at it alone, and when we are alone we are more prone to the negative thoughts creeping in telling us we’re not good enough. If you want to live the life you love in the career you love, you need to be open to getting help. Whether it’s getting help on a project or finding a helpful listener, seeking help is not just ok it’s recommended.

Day 28: The Remarkable Story of The Passion Project Turned Start-Up

Have you ever met someone that is living their passion? Literally, someone that wakes up every day and everything they do is aligned with a purpose they care deeply about. As I inch closer to my grand finale (just two days away) I have to share a story about someone that I admire, someone that is a living breathing example of The Niche Movement. Amanda Morrison must of woke up one day and just decided she was sick of seeing people ‘sit home’ in one of the most culturally rich cities in the world (NYC). So she decided she was going to use social media to show everyone all the amazing things that happen in life when we make that choice to ‘not sit home.’ And the beta version of what is now a thriving campaign, #DontSitHome, was born. I am getting a little ahead of myself though, let’s first go back to the beginning… On the first day of school I bumped in to an old high school friend, Ashley, and she asked her for a spoon so she could eat some soup she heated up. I gave her a spoon and Ashley escorted me up to the 4th floor of the residence hall to introduce me to her roommate - Courtney Stone. If this was How I Met Your Mother, this would be a pretty momentous occasion...but it’s not so I digress. Courtney was already settled into her room because she was on the tennis team and got to move in a week early. I stayed and hung out in their room and on their floor for pretty much the rest of the day because I didn’t want to spend time with my roommate or be “that kid on the quiet floor.” At whatever point that I felt like I outdid my stay, I went across the hall and met their “neighbors” Kristin Coleman and Amanda Morrison. Amanda was from Hillsborough, NJ and played softball for FDU. Next, I met Sameer, CJ and several other guys on that floor.

Eighty-percent of my first year at college was spent on the fourth floor hanging out with Sameer, Courtney, Amanda and several other friends. Our friendship extended into that summer where Courtney, Amanda, myself and my friends all went rafting. Throughout the next three years we all went down separate paths while still staying connected - Amanda had her successful softball career while earning a degree in Legal Studies and Pre-Law, Courtney started a peer educator program and became president of her sorority, and I started a marketing club and Habitat for Humanity chapter. Courtney and Amanda reconnected senior year when they both studied abroad in Costa Rica.

After graduation, we would run into Amanda periodically at the bars in Morristown and catch up where we could ask questions like “How’s your job?” and we would all would have very boring answers. In 2010, Amanda landed an amazing job as an Intellectual Property Coordinator at a prestigious newsgathering organization. From the outside looking in, you would see that Amanda was onto a successful career. However, when she moved to Hoboken, something changed for her.

In her group of friends, she was the one coordinating fun outings and sharing the up and coming events happening in the New York City metro area. Everyone around her would say things like “How did you know about that?” or “Wow, that’s awesome, I would never think to do that.” Amanda started to think about this feedback and drum up some ideas that matched her adventurous lifestyle and passion for meeting new people. In October 2012, right before Hurricane Sandy, Amanda launched her blog and shared her first Don’t Sit Home post. This is where it gets good...

Finding deals, events, and the newest spots to check out in NYC came easy to Amanda. Over the next several month’s, Don’t Sit Home grew. And it grew fast. She harnessed the power of social media to spread her adventures in real time on her Facebook and Instagram accounts. After Hurricane Sandy she was volunteering and using her Instagram handle and iPhone to provide real-time journalism and updates to her followers.

Within a few short months, Amanda became known as the Don’t Sit Home girl. A few months after that in April 2013, she was hosting a launch party in Hoboken as she hit 3,000 Facebook fans. Today, Don’t Sit Home is at 8,743 and all of that traffic is coming from organic social media strategies. Check out this picture of Amanda playing kickball with Olympian Ryan Lochte!

The amazing thing is that Amanda was building something bigger than herself all while working full-time. Her evenings and weekends were spent living life and finding the next experience to share with her followers. She may not have realized at the time, but Amanda was on the verge of disrupting one of America’s oldest traditions, the old lifestyles and entertainment publications of years past. She reinvented the way young professionals were finding out about things to do and places to go in NYC and Hoboken. Not only was it incredible content, but it worked! It has definitely inspired Courtney and I to be more adventurous and not sit home. I know we aren’t the only ones.

From kayaking to concerts and everything in between, Don’t Sit Home is your guide for finding fun if you are in your 20’s and 30’s.

The big announcement came on May 20th of this year when Amanda messaged Courtney and I to share the news that she ripped off the bandaid and quit her prestigious job with one of the world’s oldest news publication to launch Don’t Sit Home full-time. Talk about diving into your passion! We were not surprised at all to see her take the big jump, and we see nothing but success for Amanda’s future with Don’t Sit Home. She is disrupting industries like event planning, event photography, journalism, and entertainment publications. Scaling the Don’t Sit Home movement is what the world needs and wants, and Amanda is the perfect person to do it.

What They Taught Me:

I know it would be naive of me to assume that every single day is perfect and filled with fun for Amanda. I know that what she is doing requires a lot of hard work and dedication, but like most experts, Amanda makes it look easy. She has taught me that you can not only love what you do, but you can actually have a blast doing it. That’s what has made the Don’t Sit Home campaign so successful, Amanda’s genuine passion for opening people’s minds to experiencing the world around them.

How They Inspired Me:

Everyone says follow your dreams and do what you love. Heck, I say that! Amanda doesn’t need to say those things, she is showing all of us how. Just like I talked about how Nina has shown me to trust your gut and take risks, Amanda inspires me to do the work you love. She inspires me to put the work into The Niche Movement because I know that it will all be worth it. I may never play kickball with Ryan Lochte, but I know that my rockstar moment will come if I continue to put the work into it.

#NicheTip:

I often meet young people that don’t think it’s possible to start their own business or follow their passions. Next time you are doubting yourself, think of Amanda. If you have an idea that is new and creative, and you are passionate about that idea, then you need to go after it. Know that you will need to put in a lot of hours, but if you are willing to work hard then there is no reason you should give up on an idea before it even has a chance to breathe.